Yours for a day
by Yui Miyamoto
Summary: Karen and Aoki each have a day off from work and spend the day together.


Disclaimer: Yui doesn't own X. It belongs to Clamp.  
  
  
I don't know why I'm writing this down. I guess it's something I also want to remember.   
Just like the last time…  
  
I don't know why I'm writing this down…  
Because I know I'll never forget.  
  
  
Yours for a day.  
By miyamoto yui  
  
  
"Konnichiwa, Karen-san," someone greeted me as I exited my workplace.  
I turned my head to find myself smiling at Aoki-san in front of me. He lifted his hand and nodded at me.  
I walked next to him and asked, "What brings you here? I thought we were meeting later."  
Looking at my watch to make sure, I commented, "Well, that's what I thought…"  
He laughed as he put his hand on his head. "Well, to tell you the truth, my appointment for today was cancelled, so I'm pretty much free for the day."  
As we walked along together, I questioned, "Well, what are you going to do today then?"  
"Take a day off." He took out his handkerchief to wipe his forehead. "It sure is hot today."  
I nodded my head. "Sou ne…"  
  
Silence.  
  
As we reached a busy intersection, we stopped to wait for the light to change to green.  
"Today…" he cleared his throat. "I guess I'm yours for the day, Karen-san."  
"Hmm?" I blushed as I immediately turned my head towards his. "Excuse me? I didn't quite hear you correctly."  
  
He then smiled at me. "Let's do what you want to do today."  
  
I looked from side to side. "Are you serious?"  
We then crossed the street and I shook my head.  
  
Was he really kidding?   
I was in deep shock.  
  
"Wh-where did this come from?" I asked incredulously.  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. "You have a day off and I do too. So, why not?"  
Then, he blinked his eyes. "Unless you have things to do…When I think of things like this, I forget those kind of possibilities…"  
He looked from side to side and I put my hand in a fist as I placed it in front of my mouth while laughing. "You're funny."  
  
"Did I ask something wrong, Karen-san?" He then looked away.  
  
Things to do…  
There are always things to do…  
  
But as I looked at him, I felt like I wanted to drop it all. They weren't that important anyway…  
Or maybe…  
  
Anyway today is-  
  
"So, what do you think?" he then smiled at me.  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
"Where do you want to go first?"  
  
I turned my head and pointed at a random direction. "There."  
  
He nodded his head.  
  
  
When we got there, he laughed. I blinked my eyes as we looked at the sign above us. "Think it's a little childish?" I asked skeptically.  
"Naw…" He shook his head as he walked on before me.  
I shook my head in disbelief.  
  
Only you…  
  
So, we spent that morning at an amusement park   
I laughed so hard as we went on ride after ride. Aoki-san looked like he was getting dizzy, but he insisted that today was my day and so, I kept on dragging him off to one ride after another.  
I laughed so hard as we went on some boat ride that rocked back and forth. You would never have guessed we were the supposed to protectors of Tokyo at the site of Aoki-san looking at how high this ride could go afraid of it breaking since it was creaking so much.  
"Yuka-chan always laughs at me whenever we go on this ride," he commented as we left the ride.  
I smiled. "I can see why!"  
  
That's right…  
He's not mine…  
  
Demo…kono hi… (But…this day…)  
He said he was.  
  
I dragged him off to get ice cream like some teenager. "So, what do you want?"  
"No, you don't have to," he said as he lifted his hand while smiling.   
"No," I said. "We have to eat the ice cream here. It's one of the best I've ever eaten. Now go and pick one."  
He shook his head while grinning. "Okay. You said so. I'll pick…that."  
  
I blinked my eyes as we left the ice cream stand. "Who would have known you actually liked sherbet?"  
"I was expecting something exotic on your part. And you get chocolate?"  
We looked at each other cones and laughed at one another.  
  
When we left the amusement park, it was early evening. As we walked by my favorite park, I walked into the children's playground and sat on the swings. Then, I began swinging as Aoki-san just sat in the next swing set watching me.  
  
"I'm acting like a little kid," I commented as I swung back and forth.  
  
His head waved from side to side. "No, I'm glad you're enjoying swinging."  
  
I began to laugh as I looked up at the stars that had begun to appear. Then, I began to slow down to a stop. When I did, I looked at him. "You know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"When I was little, I would play on swings and pretend that I could fly." I looked up at the stars. "When you're little, you think you can do anything…"  
  
Aoki-san just sat in the swing silently and sighed.   
  
"And then, you grow up," I finished. "You realize that there is so little you can do in the world."  
  
I continued while holding onto the chains beside me tightly, "Even if there was something you could do, would it all lead to the same thing if your destiny is already set out for you?"  
  
"I still think I can do anything," he answered me.  
  
I looked at him to find him looking up at the stars above us.  
  
"You just have to work with what you have. Someone once told me that the only person who can make you happy or unhappy is yourself."  
  
"That's right…" I agreed.  
  
He then got up. "Come on, let's do something else."  
  
"You're still not tired?"  
"No, not really. I'm enjoying today."  
"Me too."  
  
I then dragged him to a café that had the best coffee I had ever tasted. It was a mocha drink with whipped cream. But, that particular store had a peculiar blend that I could never find anywhere else, so I was stuck buying from only them.  
Aoki-san laughed at me when I said that.  
  
We then passed by shops that closed. Only the restaurants and bars were open at that time.   
  
I then looked passed by a familiar store window and stood before it. It was an antique shop that I had visited ever since I had come to Tokyo. There were many things on display like toys, lamps, furniture, etc.  
But, what always caught my eye was a certain music box. There was nothing special about it. In fact, it looked really old, but was dusted out very well.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Aoki-san peered at the window next to me.  
  
"That." I pointed to the simple, red music box to the left corner.   
  
"I didn't know you liked antiques."  
  
"Not particularly."  
  
"Do you know what song it plays?"  
  
"Love story, I believe." I then got up. "I asked the clerk once to play it for me."  
  
He nodded his head. "Oh…"  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to suddenly stop," I apologized as we began to walk again.  
  
"That's okay. My grandmother used to have something like that." He smiled as he said, "I really liked that song 'Love story'. It's probably one of few that I would ever recognize."  
I laughed. "Aoki-san likes music boxes too."  
  
He blushed. "Is that so strange?"  
  
"No. You just always surprise me."  
  
"I do?"  
  
I nodded my head.  
  
We wandered to some street that looked at Rainbow Bridge. As I stopped to hold onto the railing and look at the ocean below, I smiled brightly.  
"This has truly been a great day."  
  
I turned my head. "Thank you, Aoki-san."  
  
"Why are you thanking me?"  
  
I looked down to the crashing waves. "Watashi no tanjoubi dakara…"  
  
He didn't say anything.  
  
I laughed. "Why are you so quiet?"  
  
"Because you said it was your birthday."  
  
"What's so surprising about that?"  
  
"Because today was the day my grandmother died."  
  
I opened my eyes. "Really? I'm sorry…"  
  
"Don't be." He then went next to me as he took a rock and threw it to the ocean below us. "She said something to me before she died."  
  
"And what was that?"  
  
At that moment, I was half not wanting to know.  
  
"She said that the woman I meet will be my best friend. She'll be one of my allies." He folded his arms as he leaned on the railing.   
  
He mumbled softly, "With a stronger bond than even my wife…"   
  
I looked from side to side in surprise.  
  
After a short silence, he said, "I'm sorry I lied."  
  
"Hmm?" I looked at him curiously as he continued to avoid looking at me. "About what?"  
  
"I knew it was your birthday. I asked you once and you told me that it wasn't important."  
  
Tears began to fill my eyes. "You remembered that…"  
  
He then handed me an apricot colored handkerchief from his pocket. It was different from the one I had seen earlier.  
  
"I never liked it when you cried, Karen-san."  
  
I took the handkerchief into my hands. As I wiped my eyes, I smelled it. It had his scent on it…  
  
"But I hardly cry in front of you."  
  
"You always look like you want to." He turned to me. "Do I make you cry? If I do, I'm sorry."  
  
I blinked my eyes as I became flustered inside while trying to keep my calm.  
  
In some aspects…Yes, you do.   
But that's not your fault, Aoki-san…  
  
  
I patted his head. "No…"  
  
"That day…you made me cry." He sighed as he lowered his eyes. "When you said that no one would cry for you, I told you I would cry if you died."  
  
"Because my mother told me that I was a demon. People don't cry for demons…" I said while biting my lip.  
  
No matter how many years had passed…  
That memory always made me cry. I could be perfectly calm and lose it with that single incident stuck in my mind…  
  
"Karen-san will make me sad when she dies…" he sighed as he tried to keep his cool. "And I will lose one of my best friends…"  
  
My eyes looked down as I held a wistful smile on my face. "You really are a nice guy, Aoki-san."  
  
I looked up to the dark sky and repeated what I had thought when we first met. "Why is it the good guys are either taken or married?"  
  
Then I laughed. "Or they're gay."  
  
Once again, he shook his head while whispering. "No, they're not."  
  
"Yes they are," I insisted.  
  
I truly did believe that.  
  
It was at that moment he tilted his head at me and brought out something from his jacket pocket. "I brought this for you. The apricot handkerchief comes in a set. It also has a scarf."  
  
He handed it to me and I looked at him trying not to cry. "Th-thank you…"  
  
"Do you like it?" He then looked at the ground. "Well, my grandmother gave this to me as an heirloom…and I thought you should have it."  
  
I nodded my head unable to say anything because I was so happy.  
  
But that moment, I said, "But you already gave me a wonderful birthday present."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"You were mine for the day?"  
  
"But all we did was walk around the city. That's so ordinary." He sighed. "I didn't do anything…"  
  
"You may think so." I then held the scarf and handkerchief in my hands as I looked at the ocean rocking back and forth while crashing onto the rocks below me. "But…I always spent my birthday alone."  
  
"Karen-san…"  
  
I then began to sniff as tears wanted to fall, but I wouldn't let them. As I turned towards him while still trying to smile, I said, "And wherever we went today, I always was alone when I went there. But now, I have a memory that I didn't do those things alone."  
  
"…"  
  
"And the music box? I have been watching that thing ever since I came to Tokyo. It reminded me of my childhood, but no one ever bought it. There was no point in me buying it since I am-"  
  
Grab.  
  
"Aoki-san?"  
  
"Didn't I say I hated it when Karen-san cried?" He patted my head as I wiped a tear or two that had slipped with the handkerchief.  
  
Then, I light pushed him away while bowing and smiling. "Thank you."  
  
As we turned to walk our separate ways, it had not even been a minute when he shouted, "Matte yo!"  
  
"Yes?!" I turned around to find him going through his pockets.  
  
"Catch this!"  
  
He threw something at me and I blinked as I caught it.  
  
"I thought you might like it!" He smiled as he waved at me.  
  
I stared down at the package crinkling in my hands. At that moment, I frowned.  
My strong façade broke.  
  
Plip, plop, plip, plop…  
  
My tears made crinkling sounds onto the candy's plastic bag. I looked at his shadow walking away from me as I opened my mouth with nothing to say.  
  
  
Aoki-san, you're wrong. All the good guys are taken.  
Or at least…  
The one I was looking for all this time…  
  
  
I will never forget today.  
Today was one of the loneliest, yet happiest days of my life…  
  
I looked at the stars as I whispered, "Can your soulmate be-"  
I then stopped and didn't want to ask the question.  
  
Closing my eyes, I hugged that tiny package while walking home and wiping the happy and sorrowful tears that didn't seem to stop…  
  
  
I don't think you realize…  
…this was the candy you had given me on the first day we had met…  
  
  
  
--  
Author's note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this piece Kerianne-san. I made it for you.   
  
I don't know when Karen-san's birthday, so please * smile * work with it. It's artistic license taking over.  
I hope you enjoyed it. I really think they're a sweet couple…  
  
"Watashi no tanjoubi dakara…" – because it's my birthday. 


End file.
